Shoe



y 1943. A. J. BRAUER 2,325,004

SHOE

Filed Sept. 28. 1940 INVENTOR ARTHUR J. BRAUER ATTORNEYS Patented July 20, 1943 SHOE Arthur J. Brauer; Webster Groves Mo., assignor I to Brauer Bros. Shoe 00., St. Louis, Mo a corporation of Missouri I Application September 28, 1940, Serial No. 358,761

1 Claim.- v( 01.. 3 -71) This invention relates, generally, to shoes, and particularly-to a heel lock for shoes.

In shoes of the conventional high-heel variety, the tendency exists during walking for the foot to move forwardly in the shoes; with the result that a play is produced at the rear portion of" the shoe, between the foot and the counter of the shoe. In these circumstances, the weight of the body is impressed upon the heel portion of the shoe in out-of-normal position, and the foot gradually Works forward into the shoe, until further forward movement thereinis restrained, either by the glovepaction of the sidewalls of. the shoe vamp, or by a con-tact of the toeswit the front of the shoe. When further forward movement'of the foot within the shoe is-restrained by theglove action of the vamp at the ball region or the foot, the shoe becomes distorted in a relatively short period of time, and permits further forward movement of the foot within the shoe until the toes abut against the toe portion of the shoe. Of course, when the toes abut the front portion of the shoe, an uncomfortable condition is produced, which ultimately results in corns and other foot ailments.

While some efforts have heretofore been made to provide a heel lock of a character such that the disadvantageous forward movement of the foot within the shoe is inhibited, these efforts have not completely solved the problem, and in fact in many instances the provision of the heel locks of the prior art has resulted in the creation of other conditions which were almost, if not fully, as disagreeable as the conditions sought to be overcome.

The object of the present invention, generally stated, is to provide a heel lock of a character such that a shoe will be maintained in properly equalized position upon the foot.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a heel lock for shoes of a character such that the shoe is maintained centralized upon the foot.

Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description is read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which: 1

Figure 1 is a plan view of the shoe provided With a heel lock constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a detail plan view of a section of sock lining, provided with the heel lock shown in Figure l. V

Figure 3 is a sectional View, taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2.

In accordance with the present invention, generally stated, aheellock which may be in the form of a swatch of frictional material, a raised abutment, or a combination of both, is provided on the'interior bottom of a shoe adjacent the os calcl's, and arranged so as to restrain movement of the foot relative to the shoe when the foot is in normal positionin theshoe. Such a heellock maybe provided in one of the bottom wall members of the shoe, so as to readily act uponthe bottom of the foot. Inthe' embodiment illustrated in: the drawing, the heel lock is disclosed as an insert in a conventional sock lining; but it will be readily understood that inshoes which are not provided with a sock lining as such, the heel lock may be provided in the insole or other sole member, so long as the heel lock is arranged to exert itself upon the bottom of the foot.

The present invention especially contemplates that the heel lock be provided in a form such that the curvilinear abutment is disposed in the shoe immediately in front of the region where the os calcis, of a foot, reposing in the shoe, will be situated. The forward edge of the os calcis is of a generally curved configuration, forwardly convex, and accordingly the present invention contemplates that the rear abutting edge of the heel lock be rearwardly concaved, so as to readily receive and cooperate with the curved forward edge of the os calcis.

In accordance with another feature of the I present invention, the curvilinear abutting edge of the heel lock is so oriented within the shoe as to maintain the foot centralized therein. This does not necessarily require that the heel lock be so oriented in the shoe thatits axis substantially coincides with the longitudinal axis of the shoe, as shown in the drawing. Variations from such an orientation are contemplated, depending upon the condition of the feet, and nature of the shoe, so long as there is an intermediate part of eating element.

Referring now to' the drawing for an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a shoe I is provided with a sock lining 2 in which is arranged a heel lock 3, having a curvilinear abutting face 4 addressed rearwardly.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing, a crescent-shaped aperture 5 is cut in the sock lining 2 for the accommodation of the heel lock.

The heel lock per se consists of a swatch of friction material 6, extending upwardly through the aperture 5. The swatch of friction material 6 may beof leather or suitable'fabrlc, calf or kidskin being ideal for employment in this connection when the flesh side extends upwardly. Arranged on the lower side of swatch 6 is a pad I of cushion material, such as sponge rubber, slightly smaller in size than the aperture 5 in sock lining 2. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the pad I is not directly connected to swatch 6, but is free for slight movement relative thereto.

In order to maintain pad I in position relative to swatch 6, a strip of material such as fabric or other flexible material 8 may extend beneath the pad 1 and be connected to the edges of swatch 6 by stitching, adhesive, or otherwise, so as to provide a pocket in which cushion pad 1 is received. I In the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, the strip 8 is formed of adhesive tape so that pad I is anchored, through the action of the adhesive, to strip 8, and strip 8, outwardly beyond the margins of pad I, adheres to the lower surface of swatch 6 and insole 2.

In order to securely maintain the assembly of swatch B, pad I and strip 8 in position, a line of stitching 9 i run about the margin of aperture 5, catching sock liner 2, the margin of swatch 6, and strip 8, but in the embodiment shown, leaving the pad 1 free for slight floating action.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the heel lock is of crescent shape. The configuration of the rear abutting edge of the heel lock, and advantages thereof, have been fully described hereinbefore. The configuration of the forward edge, being convex forwardly but on a lesser radius of curvature than the rearward edge of the heel lock, is of advantage in that, while suflicient substance is provided to accomplish the desired result, the material is reduced in width so as to provide the minimum obstruction within the shoe, and consequently enhance the comfort.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that thoseskilled in the art will appreciate the functions and advantages of the invention, and realize that the objects are accomplished. While the invention has been illustrated in connection with a shoe of the pump type, it is to be distinctly understood that it is applicable to all varieties of shoes; and while, as is the case with heel locks generally, it is of particular advantage in high heeled shoes, to a lesser extent it may advantageously be employed in connection with shoes of the low heeled variety. While the invention is not limited to the details of construction save as indicated in the appended claim,

' it is apparent that modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

In a shoe, a sole member having an aperture,

a swatchof non-slip material in said aperture, 

